Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मलोके स्थितः पूर्वं नारदो भगवानृषिः । तत्र दृष्ट्वा महावीणां दिव्यां तंत्र्ययुतै र्युताम्

Transliteration

brahmaloke sthitaḥ pūrvaṃ nārado bhagavānṛṣiḥ | tatra dṛṣṭvā mahāvīṇāṃ divyāṃ taṃtryayutai ryutām

Translation

Formerly, the blessed sage Nārada dwelt in Brahmaloka. There he beheld a great divine vīṇā, furnished with thousands of strings.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मलोके: in Brahma-loka
• ब्रह्मलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः लोकः)

• स्थितः: residing
• स्थितः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'residing/situated'

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भगवान्: venerable/divine
• भगवान्: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण — qualifies 'ऋषिः/नारदः'

• ऋषिः: sage
• ऋषिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund) — 'having seen'

• महावीणाम्: a great vīṇā
• महावीणाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + वीणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती वीणा)

• दिव्याम्: divine
• दिव्याम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण — qualifies 'वीणाम्'

• तन्त्री-युतैः: with strings
• तन्त्री-युतैः: Karana (Accompaniment/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तन्त्री (प्रातिपदिक) + युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया, बहुवचन; तृतीया-समर्थन (instrumental of accompaniment) — 'with strings'

• युताम्: endowed (with)
• युताम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √युज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'endowed/connected' — agrees with 'वीणाम्'

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (narrating the backstory)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāradeśvara (origin narrative begins)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In Brahmaloka, Nārada the devarṣi beholds an immense divine vīṇā with thousands of strings—an awe-filled discovery in a luminous celestial court.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Brahmaloka
• Vīṇā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas connect celestial happenings with earthly tīrthas, implying that sacred places mirror higher worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative sets up the origin of Nāradeśvara in Prabhāsakṣetra, though this verse is situated in Brahmaloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it begins an origin story (kathā) explaining the shrine’s sanctity.